Dahi Varo Oro or Dahi Baingan Bharta, is a traditional winter dish from Kathiawad, Gujarat. It is made using smoky roasted eggplant, yogurt, lasan chutney and fresh herbs.
Ringan nu dahiwaru bhartu is an authentic dish and is especially popular amongst the farming community during the winter season. It can be a part of a Gujarati thali menu and Kathiyawadi thali menu.
Earthy smoked aubergine puree defines this dish and blends beautifully with the spices, herbs and yogurt.
Fresh coriander, garlic and peanut oil add a lovely flavour to oro and yogurt tones down the heat from the fresh green chilli and garlic chutney.
If you’re already a fan of baingan bhartha or baba ghanoush, you need to give this traditional Gujarati dish a try!
Oro recipe seems similar to Baingan Bhartha in the first instance but but I would say taste-wise they are quite different. Both are prepared with burnt aubergine as the base, but in baingan bharta the aubergine is further cooked with an onion, garlic, tomato masala. In oro, the charred aubergine is simply mixed in with the other ingredients and no further cooking is involved.
Oro is served at room temperature whereas bhartu is served hot.
Other Gujarati aubergine shaak you might like to try are: Ringan Valor Nu Shaak , Ringan Bateta Nu Shaak or Ringan Palita .
Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below.
Aubergine/Eggplant – cooked on an open flame until the skin is charred and the flesh is tender.
Yogurt (dahi) – natural yogurt.
Garlic Chutney – I use my homemade Gujarati lasan ni chutney.
Green garlic – known as lilu lasan or spring garlic.
Green Chillies
Peanut Oil
Coriander/Cilantro
Salt
Serving Suggestions
Dahi varo oro is best served with hot pearl millet flatbread ( Bajri no Rotlo ), Mag Nu Shaak and Lasaniya Gajar as a main meal.
It can be served as starter dip with crackers or toasted pitta bread too.
Storage
Store dahi varo oro in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
I do not recommend freezing this recipe as the aubergine will loose texture upon defrosting.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Ringan Dahi Varo Oro (Smoky Aubergine with Yogurt)
Ingredients
- 1 big aubergine
- 2 tablespoon green garlic
- 2 tablespoon garlic chutney
- 1 medium green chilli chopped
- 2-3 tablespoon peanut oil
- 2-3 tablespoon yogurt
- 4-5 tablespoon coriander finely chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash aubergine and pat dry.
- Roast the aubergine on an open flame until the skin is charred and the flesh is tender.
- Once charred, remove from the fire and allow the aubergine to cool.
- Once cooled, peel away the skin and mash the flesh with a fork or blender.
- Mix well with all the other ingredients.
- Serve at room temperature with peanut oil drizzled on top and a sprinkle of red chilli flakes.
- Serve with rotla, chaas and more garlic chutney.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First published in July 2016.
Ringan Dahi Varo Oro (Smoky Aubergine with Yogurt)
Ingredients
- 1 big aubergine
- 2 tablespoon green garlic
- 2 tablespoon garlic chutney
- 1 medium green chilli chopped
- 2-3 tablespoon peanut oil
- 2-3 tablespoon yogurt
- 4-5 tablespoon coriander finely chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash aubergine and pat dry.
- Roast the aubergine on an open flame until the skin is charred and the flesh is tender.
- Once charred, remove from the fire and allow the aubergine to cool.
- Once cooled, peel away the skin and mash the flesh with a fork or blender.
- Mix well with all the other ingredients.
- Serve at room temperature with peanut oil drizzled on top and a sprinkle of red chilli flakes.
- Serve with rotla, chaas and more garlic chutney.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Moong dal chilla or pudla are savoury pancakes made all around India. They’re perfect for breakfast or quick lunches.
These savoury pancakes are known as “chilla” or “cheela” in Hindi and “pudla” in Gujarati.
Moong dal chilla are savoury Indian pancakes made from soaked and ground yellow moong lentils, then lightly spiced. Chilla are pan-cooked until golden, then served hot with chutneys, pickles, yogurt or masala tea .
They are often enjoyed as a breakfast, snack, or light meal.
Chilla can either be prepared with split moong dal or besan (gram flour) – like these carrot chilla . They can even be used as vegan & gluten-free wraps. Just omit the spices!
These savoury zucchini pancakes are another favourite of mine, that are vegan and comes together in just 15 minutes.
Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
- Yellow Moong Daal – you need to use yellow moong dal (dhuli moong dal). Soak the dal for at least 3-4 hours or ideally overnight.
- Green chillies and ginger – fresh
- Turmeric powder and garam masala or cumin coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- Oil to fry
Optional:
- Veggies such as chopped spinach, methi (fenugreek leaves), chopped onion, grated carrots or grated courgette to add colour and texture.
- Minced garlic
- Dried fenugreek (kasoori methi)
Hayley’s Tips
- Soak the dal overnight if you can as this will help the dal grind more smoothly.
- Grind the lentils with as little water as possible so this way you’ll have a smoother batter.
- Aim for a batter that is a little thicker than dosa batter but still spreadable.
- If you have thinned yours out too much, add besan or rice flour to thicken.
- Make sure the pan is heated properly before pouring the batter to prevent sticking.
- You can also spread water over the tawa with a kitchen towel to prevent the batter sticking and easy spread.
- Use the back of a ladle to spread the batter and cook on medium flame. Too high and it’ll burn, too low and it becomes chewy.
- Flip once the edges start lifting and turn golden.
Serving Suggestion
My Mum used to serve me and my brother these pudla for breakfast or lunch with plain yogurt or ketchup.
Now, I tend to eat them either with a pickle such as keri no chundo or with avocado and a finely chopped kachumber salad .
Tofu bhurji is a delicious and filling pairing with pudla.
Storage
Pudla are best eaten immediately after cooking as they tend to dry out and loose texture.
They can be stored in an airtight container for 1 day and reheated in the microwave.
You can store any unused batter in the fridge for 2 days. Give the batter a good mix and check consistency – you may need to add some more water to it.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Pudla – Moong Dal Chilla
Equipment
- Blender
- Griddle
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow moong dal
- 3 green chillies
- 1 inch ginger
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ cup spinach finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 4-5 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Make a smooth batter by grinding soaked dal, chillies and ginger with little water in a grinder.
- Add the masala, veggies of choice, and salt.
- Mix well.
- Smear a large, wide, non-stick frying pan with 1 teaspoon of the oil and set over medium heat.
- When very hot, stir the batter and pour about one ladleful on to the centre of the pan.
- Using the back of a ladle quickly spread the batter to make a round pancake.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the pancake is golden at the bottom.
- Drizzle a teaspoon of oil around the edges of the pancake.
- Turn the pancake over and cook, for a further minute or until golden on both sides.
- Remove from the heat. Repeat with the remaining batter. Remember to stir the batter before each ladle.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First published in January 2010.
